Into Oblivion and Beyond
by dorawarrior
Summary: sequel to Murder and Love...a mysterious creature ends up in the dungeons of the Imperial City...with a purpose foreseen by an ill fated Emperor...and two old characters somehow end up as his sidekicks...CHAPTER 11 UP! Disclaimer: I don't own Oblivion
1. Prologue

here it comes...the sequel...i'll do my best to make it better...

Prologue

_Why can't these bastards leave me alone?_

_Why must they stare at me through the cage?_

_Leave me alone! Let me go! I've done no wrong!_

_Why am I here? Where are they taking me?_

He heard the cage being unlocked and felt himself being dragged out.

He was starving, hurting and had no energy to fight.

They were dragging him down a dark corridor, barely illuminated by their torches.

Finally, they threw him into a dark cell, the only source of light being a small grate.

'What is he?' one of them asked.

'I don't know, he's only taller than my waist,' one of them said.

'But his muscles and skin are harder than rock,' another said.

'Such a thick beard too,' said another.

'The only thing more grotesque than him would be an Orc,' one of them said and they all laughed.

The creature in question merely shut his eyes and did not say anything.

Soon, they all left and he was alone.

Alone in the darkness.

Alone in an unknown land.

He let the welcoming darkness take him and fell unconscious.

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what is this creature??

can you guess??

something to whet your apptetite...


	2. Chapter 1

Re-introducing two characters you already know...and a new one...enjoy...

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Chapter 1

A Khajiit hovered over his experiment anxiously, intent on dropping exactly one dropped of mandrake juice into his concoction.

_Almost…_

_Just a little bit…_

"DAR!!!"

The Khajiit jumped and accidentally emptied the entire mandrake juice into the concoction.

It hissed with violet fumes and evaporated.

"Failure number thirty," grumbled the Khajiit. "Due to a complete overdose of mandrake juice…"

"DAR!! GET UP HERE NOW!!"

"…caused by an extremely irate Imperial girl,"

The Khajiit emerged from the cellar that was he's laboratory.

His brown orbs blinked in the bright sunlight as they adjusted. He wore simple blue robes and an old brown headband around his head. His short mane fell around his face in braids. His fur was pleasant golden brown and his tail flicked from left to right, indicating his nervous state.

"Yes, Arvina," he said in falsely calm voice. "How can I help you? Do you realise that I've just failed my experiment again because of your wonderfully delicate call?"

The Imperial before him regarded him with a cold steely glare.

She was dressed in a simple brown dress that outlined her curves. Her ebony hair was tied back in a ponytail and her normally kind brown eyes now burned dangerously from her tanned face.

"Don't take that tone with me, _M'raaj-Dar_," she hissed.

The Khajiit winced inwardly. Whenever Arvina used his full name he knew he was in big trouble.

"What happened to the last mandrake plant in my garden?"

"Oh," said the Khajiit.

"Don't 'oh' me, mister," snarled Arvina dangerously. "What did you do with it?"

"Ah," said M'raaj-Dar uncomfortably. "You see, my potion needed a drop of mandrake juice. I saw your mandrake plant in the garden and thought that that was no sense in running to the Mages' Guild to buy another one when there was one already available."

"That last one was for my stew!" shrieked Arvina.

There was a silence.

"You can eat mandrake as a meal?" said the Khajiit, trying not to laugh.

"I was trying something new!" yelled Arvina. "But you just had to use it for one of your blasted experiments!"

"Well, now that I know what you were planning to do with it, I think I did us all a favour." said M'raaj-Dar, unable to suppress the grin that was appearing on his face.

"What!" cried Arvina. "You just blatantly made fun of my cooking!"

"Uh…no I didn't," snorted M'raaj-Dar. "Since I could hardly call what you do in the kitchen 'cooking'."

"That's it!" Arvina cried out, picking up a broom. "Your in big trouble now mister! What do you have to say for yourself?"

The Khajiit took a step back.

"Um…you're beautiful when you're angry?" he tried.

The next moment, he found himself running across the fields with a very furious Arvina chasing him with the broomstick.

----------------------

Uriel Septim followed Captain Renault, Glenroy and Baurus as they led him down into the dungeons.

_My sons, I'm so sorry for all of this, _he thought in anguish.

"My sons, they're dead aren't they?" he said to Renault.

"There no proof of that sire," said the Imperial woman in reassuring, brisk voice. "The messenger only said that they were attacked."

The aged emperor merely sighed. "No, they're dead. Somehow I know it."

He didn't even hear whatever Renault said next.

Until he saw him.

The one from his dreams.

The creature standing before him was…peculiar.

He was short, probably just less than five feet. But he was extremely muscular and his skin colour was like the colour of granite rock. He was also bald, but had extremely thick and long beard that reached down to his chest. The beard itself was grey, indicating that he was probably quite old. But what struck Uriel was that the creature was craggy, like a weathered rock, and he was heavily scarred.

"You, I've seen you." said Uriel.

The creature did not respond, merely gazing at him with eyes that glinted like black diamonds.

"Do you have a name?" prompted Uriel.

The creature cocked its head, and then grunted with a deep rumbling voice. "Grun."

Uriel studied the creature's face and nodded.

'You are the one, then today is that day, Gods give me strength.'

---------------------------

Grun came around, feeling slightly disoriented. He took in his surroundings.

The cell was big, to him anyway, had one table and one stool. He reached out to the stone wall. After awhile, he turned to recess in the wall where the bed was.

From the touch of the stone, he knew there was a hidden passageway behind it, if only he could find the lever that activated it…

He heard voices and cursed silently.

He sat himself on the stool and observed the newcomers.

There were four people, three of them clad in armour and one of them in fine robes.

"What's this prisoner doing here?" demanded one of them, a woman from the sound of her. "This cell is supposed to be off-limits."

Apparently she was in charge.

Another of the armour clad figure stammered something.

"Never mind," barked the woman. "Stand back prisoner! We won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way!"

Grun snorted but complied.

One the armoured figures walked and said to him: "Stay put prisoner."

Grun merely scowled and crossed his arms.

Then, the old man saw him.

The old man had kind wrinkled face, and hair as white as snow. The elaborate robes he wore seemed too big, indicating that he was very thin.

The old man spouted some rubbish about seeing him before and asked his name. Since he asked politely, Grun told him.

Then the old man implored to some gods about something about strength.

"Pardon me fer askin'," Grun said. "But who the ruddy hell are you?"

The armoured people around the old man, most likely his bodyguards hissed angrily but to Grun's surprise, the old man merely smiled.

"I am Uriel Septim," he answered. "By the grace of the Nine, I serve Tamriel as her Emperor."

Grun raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"An emperor, eh?" he snorted. "That sounds fine and dandy, but what the hell are you doing in the dungeons?"

"Assassins attacked my sons," replied the old man, seemingly unfazed by Grun's rudeness. "I may be next. My Blades are leading me to safety through the city sewers."

Grun merely grunted.

"If you don't mind my asking, Grun," said the Emperor. "What are you? You are unlike any being I've ever seen on the face of Tamriel."

"You wouldn't now would you?" snorted Grun. "I'm a Dwarf."

Uriel gasped in surprise. "A Dwemer?"

Grun shook his head. "No, not a Dwemer. They're no shorter than humans. I came from across the sea, very far away from here, you probably never even heard of the land. I'm what you would call, a True Dwarf."

"Then how do you know of us?" asked Uriel.

Grun was about to reply when Renault cut in. "Please sire, we must get moving."

Uriel nodded as Renault pressed a stone, revealing the hidden passageway behind it.

He followed Renault and Glenroy through.

Baurus paused and looked at the Dwarf.

"Looks like it's your lucky day, just stay out of our way."

Grun merely snorted before following Baurus through the passage.

-----------------------------------

There you have it...Grun is a Dwarf...i know that there no real dwarves in oblivion...but i prefer to think that they are merely...undiscovered...

so...Grun is not a Dwemer...just wanna make sure everyone gets that...cuz Dwemers are normal sized...

by the way...when Grun speaks...think of an Irish or Scottish accent...

chap 2 coming soon!!!


	3. Chapter 2

Here's the second chapter...enjoy

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Chapter 2

Arvina sulked quietly as M'raaj-Dar prepared dinner. It wasn't that she hated the Khajiit's cooking. In fact, she loved it. That only made her sulked harder.

"Dinner's ready," the Khajiit in question said, placing a bowl of steaming stew in front of her.

She took a spoonful and tried it. It was delicious. She scowled at M'raaj-Dar, who recoiled slightly.

"Why is it every time you cook something, it tastes good?" she said gloomily. "But when I cook something, someone winds up in the chapel or in the Mages' Guild, looking for a cure."

The Khajiit smirked at the memory. 

Once when they had visited Jauffre, she had brought him some cupcakes with arrowroot sprinkles. M'raa-Dar had used every sign language known to all the races in Tamriel to warn Jauffre, but being the polite Breton that he was, he had eaten one. Needless to say, they had to bring Jauffre to the Chorrol chapel to save him.

"You can cook just fine, Arvina," M'raaj-Dar said. "It's just that, sometimes you go overboard or use ingredients most people use in poisons. But when you cook normal stuff, it normally turns out okay."

Arvina merely huffed.

They finished their dinner quietly and prepared for bed.

As Arvina stripped down to her undergarments, M'raaj-Dar took a quick glance.

Her entire body was evenly tanned, and she was well-muscled. There were no scars of any kind on her body.

The Khajiit smirked.

After taking off his robes and putting on his own undergarments, he snuck up behind Arvina and seized her by the waist.

She squeaked as the Khajiit nuzzled her neck affectionately. 

"Dar!" she cried, squirming. "That tickles!"

M'raaj-Dar chuckled and ceased his nuzzling.

"Shall we 'try' again?" he murmured into her ear.

Arvina sighed. "Pervert."

"But, Arvina…" the Khajiit whined.

The Imperial sighed and twisted around the Khajiit's hold.

"Fine, but we're doing it my way."

The Khajiit grinned and nodded.

Arvina swiftly pushed him onto the bed with one hand, grabbing a rope with the other. 

Before M'raaj-Dar knew what was happening, Arvina had tied his hands to the bedpost.

M'raaj-Dar began to get excited.

Arvina slowly traced patterns on the Khajiit's chest, making him shiver.

She straddled his waist, right over his groin and began to buck slowly.

M'raaj-Dar began to purr.

Arvina leaned in close to his face and whispered. "You've been a naughty kitty today haven't you?"

The Khajiit nodded, excitement clouding his judgment.

"I must punish you right?"

Again he nodded.

"I've thought of the perfect way," she whispered.

The Khajiit eyes widened with excitement.

"And…I've decided you can just sleep by yourself tonight."

With that, Arvina got off the excited Khajiit, picked up her own set of robes and went to the bedroom upstairs.

M'raaj-Dar was shocked, but he quickly recovered and tried to follow her but his hands were tied securely to the bedpost.

He looked at them and looked at Arvina retreating back.

"Oh no," he said as he the room door close. He struggled with his bonds again to no avail.

"ARVINA!"

Arvina merely smirked.

----------------------------

The stones of the underground ruin were very ancient, and though the torches provided light, the ruins seemed to shine with their own inner light, allowing everyone to see well enough.

Grun was impressed; the ancient Ayleids were clearly great architects in their time.

As the group moved on, Grun sensed some of the stones in the ruin shifted and looked up sharply just as Renault and the other Blades dropped their torches and drew their katanas.

"Form up!" cried Renault. "Protect the Emperor."

Immediately, armoured people leaped out from the shadows and attacked the group. 

One of them charged at Grun, taking a swing at the dwarf's head. 

Grun ducked under the blow and bellowing like a bull, he charged forward and tackled his attacker around the waist, bring him down.

Straddling his attacker, Grun landed several hard punches that dented his attacker's helm, killing him. 

He looked up and saw that the Emperor was being attacked by two others and his Blades were occupied with the other attackers. 

Grun swiftly picked one the still burning torches and charged towards where the Emperor was making his stand.

He leaped and smashed the burning part of the torch into one of the attacker's head. The man fell, screaming in agony.

This gave the Emperor the opening he needed and he swiftly disarmed and killed the other one. Grun picked up a rock and walked to other man, who was writing on the floor with agony. Several well placed hits with the rock ended the man's agony.

After awhile, the Blades finally managed to overcome their attackers, but at the cost of Captain Renault.

The Redguard named Baurus walked forward. "They're gone for now. Are you all right, sire?"

"I'm fine," said the old man wearily. "Captain Renault?"

Baurus shook his head. "I'm sorry sire, but we have to keep moving."

They moved on quietly until they reached a gate.

As Glenroy unlocked it, Baurus turned to Grun.

"Stay here, don't try to follow us."

Grun just scowled at him. 

As Baurus turned away, Uriel turned to look at Grun. 

"We will meet again before the day is over," he said, smiling.

The three of them disappeared through the gate, leaving Grun behind.

The dwarf looked around, trying to find a way out. He touched the stone floor and closed his eyes. He found out what he wanted to know.

He turned to a section of the wall, which he sensed was very fragile.

Before he could move towards it however, it collapsed and a giant rat leaped at him.

He caught it by the throat.

The rat thrashed and struggled to get out of his powerful grip.

He squeezed. 

The rat stopped struggling and hung limply.

Grun dropped the lifeless body and looked into the darkness behind the broken wall. He sighed and turned to Renault's dead body. After searching for awhile, he found Renault's katana and picked it up, studying it.

He strapped it to his back, shaking his head, it was too long for him, but there was nothing left. 

Just as he entered through the broken wall however, he spotted a battered chest.

Opening it, he found something more to his liking, a war axe.

"Perfect," he grunted, and strode into the darkness.

-------------------------------

Grun finds his weapon, M'raaj-Dar gets punished...wat do u think?

pls review...thx

chap 3 coming soon...


	4. Chapter 3

Here's chapter 3...enjoy...

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Chapter 3

There was darkness all around her. No matter where she looked, there was nothing but the Void.

Arvina's breathing began to grow shallow as her heart began to beat erratically.

Suddenly, out of the darkness a figure appeared in front of her.

It was tall, clad in heavy armour with a huge battle axe strapped to its back. Its skin was green and short tusks protruded from its mouth, marking it as an orc.

It looked at her and recognition struck her.

"Gogron!" she cried, stumbling back.

It was Gogron, the big, clumsy, loveable orc who had once been her friend. But he was drastically altered.

Blood poured from cuts on his face and his eyes were as dark as the darkness around the two of them.

Gogron drew the battle axe from his back and began to march towards her, slowly and menacingly.

"Why, Sister?" he said in a dull, lifeless voice. "Why did you kill me? I thought we were friends?"

Arvina screamed and turned to run.

And saw two more figures appeared up ahead.

This time, two Argonians stood before her.

The two lizard people looked alike, yet it was obvious that one was male, the other a female. They both stared at Arvina with the same eyes that the Gogron chasing her had.

"Ocheeva! Teinavaa!" choked out Arvina in terror. 

The two Argonians siblings too had been altered. Their scales hung out in places, and blood was pouring out from gashes and wounds in their bodies.

"Sister, I thought you were the greatest friend anyone could ask for," said Ocheeva in a rasping voice. "But you killed me! Why?"

"We took you in," said Teinavaa in the same rasping voice. "We befriended you, treated you like family, but you betrayed us!"

"NO!"

Arvina screamed and ran another way.

This time a Breton girl about her age appeared before her.

She was extremely pale, and there was ugly gash in the side of her head from which blood poured freely.

"No, Antoinetta," moaned Arvina in fear.

The Breton girl regarded her with those terrible black eyes.

"You were better than me in everything," she said in a low voice. "Yet I still befriended you even though everyone kept saying that I should learn to be as good as you. but that wasn't enough for you, wasn't it? You just had to kill me!"

Arvina turned and ran right into a Bosmer.

She found herself looking right into the dead eyes of Telaendril.

The Bosmer glared at her, blood puring from a cut in her throat.

Arvina took a step back.

Telaendril said nothing but raised her hands to grab at Arvina.

Arvina dodged and ran blindly.

Another figure appeared in front of her. A male Breton clad all in black with dark hair and an extremely pale face, as though he had no blood in him. Unlike the others, he had no wounds on his face and his eyes were not dark. Instead they were burning, burning like the fires that had taken Arvina's parents.

"Vincente," whimpered Arvina in terror.

"Sister, how good of you to join us," said the vampire amiably. "We were just having a little reunion party to welcome you here for all eternity."

"What?" cried Arvina. "Where is here?"

The others had formed a circle around her, cutting off all escape.

"Why, the Void of course," replied Vincente. "You're dead now, like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us however, you did not cause it. So you must understand that we all want some retribution."

"No!" screamed Arvina, falling to her knees. "I had no choice! Please, I'm sorry! I didn't want to kill any of you!"

They were all closing in around her, drawing their weapons.

Vincente knelt down and lifted her face to face him.

"You have all eternity to explain to us, but first we want revenge," said the vampire, grinning to reveal his fangs.

They all threw themselves upon her.

-----------------------

Arvina woke up, screaming.

She looked around her wildly before realising that she was in the bedroom upstairs.

She took deep breaths, calming herself. 

She heard a squeak from one corner of the room and turned to see Schemer the rat looking at her with wide eyes, shaking.

"Oh, Schemer," she said, getting out of bed and kneeling down to pat the rat on the head. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry."

She stayed that way for awhile, stroking the rat's head until he fell asleep before getting up and quietly left the room to go downstairs.

She entered the bedroom downstairs and peeped in.

M'raaj-Dar was sleeping soundly, still tied up to the bed.

Arvina can't help but smiled at the sight.

She tiptoed over quietly to the sleeping Khajiit and untied his hands.

Then, she climbed into the bed and cuddled up to him.

M'raaj-Dar stirred and looked down at her sleepily.

"Arvina?' he said in a sleepy voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nightmare," mumbled Arvina.

"Oh," said the Khajiit in an understanding tone.

Ever since the events that happened two years ago, nightmares of the past had been constantly haunting Arvina.

He heard some noises and looked down to see Arvina sobbing quietly.

The Khajiit wrapped his arms around Arvina and nuzzled the top of her head.

"Its okay," he said soothingly into her ebony hair, breathing in its sweet flowery scent. "I'm here, and I'll never leave you."

--------------------------

"Finally," grunted Grun when he saw a hole in wall leading into a ruin similar to the one where the Emperor had left him. 

He had been underground fighting rats, goblins, zombies and even more rats. Not that they had been a problem but it was still troublesome to the dwarf.

As he got through the hole, he spotted the Emperor and his men finishing a few of the assassins.

"How could they be waiting for us here?" cried the warrior called Glenroy. 

"I don't know, but I don't like this at all," said the Redguard called Baurus.

"Are you all right, sire?" he asked the Emperor.

"I'm fine," said Uriel in his weary, troubled voice. "Any sign of the prisoner?"

"No, sir," answered Baurus.

"You think he followed us?" asked Glenroy.

"Missin' me already?" said Grun, dropping down from the ledge.

"Damn it!" cried Glenroy. "It's that prisoner! Kill him! He might be working for the assassins!"

Glenroy raised his katana and approached Grun, who only looked supremely unconcerned.

"No! He is not one of them," said Uriel in a powerful voice that was so different from his usual tired tone. "He can help us. He _must_ help us."

Glenroy, though looking extremely mistrustful, sheathed his katana. "As you wish, sire."

Uriel approached Grun.

"They cannot understand why I trust you," he said in a low voice. "They have not seen what I have seen."

"What are you blabberin' about?" snorted Grun.

Uriel sighed. "I've studied the signs all my life, and I wonder what your sign is?"

Grun scratched his bald head as he pondered the question. "Following yer Tamriel lore, it would be the Warrior."

"I see," said Uriel. 

"So you can see other people's fates?" asked Grun.

"Vaguely," answered Uriel.

"What's yer fate then?" asked the dwarf.

Uriel smile wryly. 

"I go now to my grave," answered Uriel.

Grun gawped. 

"Aren't you afraid to die, boy?" asked Grun. 

"No accomplishments of mine precede me," answered Uriel. "I am blessed in the sense that I know when my doom is, and I can face it."

"What going to happen to me then?" asked the dwarf.

"Your fate is not mine," answered Uriel. "You have a task ahead of you unlike any of the tasks that you faced before in your long life."

"What kind of task?"

"You are the one who can save all of Nirn."

Grun merely stared at the old Emperor.

"Yer barkin' mad, you know that?" he said, scowling.

Uriel chuckled. 

"So some people tell me," he said. "Butit does not matterif you accept it or not, you will fulfill your destiny. The Nine will see to it."

"But you will join us a little longer. Come now."

The Emperor turned and Baurus followed him.

As Grun moved to follow them, he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Glenroy scowling down at him. 

"The Emperor may trust you, but I don't. So watch your step."

Grun scowled and seized the hand holding him by the wrist.

He held it for awhile and watched with amusement as Glenroy's face contorted with pain.

Grun let go. 

Glenroy fell back, massaging his wrist and glared at the dwarf. 

Grun smirked. "Prissy boy."

He followed Baurus and the Emperor, ignoring the death glare he knew Glenroy was givingto the back of his head.

---------------------

Arvina has a nightmare of the past...Glenroy doesn't like Grun, and the feeling is mutual...chap 4 coming soon...

as always...pls review!


	5. Chapter 4

chapter 4...haven't gotten much reviews lately...pls do review this one okay?

enjoy...

-----------------------------

Chapter 4

Grun, Baurus, Glenroy and Uriel were bruised, cut and exhausted.

They've been moving underground for only about an hour, but it felt like an entire year to them. Assassins had been attacking them at every corner, forcing them to take detours or simply just fight their way through.

Eventually they reached the sewer gates and Glenroy began to unlock it.

After several minutes, he cried. "Those bastards must have blocked it from the other side. We're trapped!"

Baurus looked around desperately. "What about that side passage there?"

"Worth a try, lets go." said Glenroy.

It only led to a dead end.

Baurus turned to Glenroy. 

"What's you call, sir?" he asked.

Glenroy looked around in frustration.

Suddenly, noises could be heard down the passage through which they just came. 

"First, we have to hold them off," he growled.

Baurus turned to Grun. "Stay here with the Emperor. Guard him with your life."

Grun said nothing as Baurus and Glenroy rushed out to fight off the assassins.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Uriel was holding out the amulet he wore around his neck.

"I can go no further," he said. "Take this amulet to Jauffre, there is another heir. Find him and shut the jaws of Oblivion."

Before Grun could respond, Uriel pushed the amulet into Grun's free hand just as the wall behind the Emperor opened and an assassin leaped out and stuck his dagger into Uriel. 

The Emperor fell.

The assassin let out a victory cheer.

He looked at Grun and sneered, raising his dagger.

"You picked a bad day to fight for…"

His speech was cut off as his head rolled on the floor, the sneer still on his face.

Grun stood over the assassin's dead body, breathing thunderously as rage flooded his veins.

Another assassin entered and charged at Grun.

Roaring with rage, the dwarf tackled the assassin to the floor and hacked at him until his axe, his arms and his face were red with blood.

Moments later, Baurus entered alone and fell to his knees as he saw the Emperor's lifeless body.

"No…Talos save us," he said. 

Grun looked out at the passage in case any more assassins were coming.

All the assassins there were dead, and it was unlikely that they would attack now that their goal had been achieved. He also saw Glenroy, pinned to the wall with a spear through his chest.

_No great loss there _he thought harshly before turning to the grieving Baurus.

"You all right, lad?" he asked, his voice less gruff than usual.

The Redguard looked at him.

"We failed…_I _failed," he said sorrowfully. "The Blades have sworn to protect the Emperor and his bloodline, now we have failed in out task."

Looking down at Uriel's body, something seemed to occur to him.

"The amulet! Where is it?" he cried. "It's not on the Emperor's body!"

"Settle down, lad," grunted Grun, holding up the amulet. "The old man gave it to me for safe keepin'."

Baurus took several deep breaths to calm himself. Then, he regarded the dwarf curiously.

"Strange, he saw something in you," he said. "They saw it's in the Emperor's bloodline, they can see more than lesser men."

"What is this trinket?" asked Grun, studying the amulet.

"That's the Amulet of Kings," answered Baurus. "It's said that it was given by Akatosh to Alessia, the first Empress. The diamond is supposed to carry incredible power."

"That's no diamond," grunted Grun.

"What?"

"Trust me, I'm a dwarf. I know diamonds when I see them. This one is no diamond."

"Then what is it?"

Grun studied it closely. 

"It's a soul gem."

Baurus gaped for a moment. "That would explain its divine properties."

He shook his head. "Why did the Emperor give it to you? Did he say anything?"

"Told me to give to some sod called Jauffre," replied Grun.

Baurus frowned. "Mind your tongue. Did he say why?"

"Apparently yer Emperor has another whelp somewhere."

Baurus pondered this. 

"Nothing that I know of," he said at last. "But if anyone would know anything, it would be Jauffre."

"Who's this Jauffre?" asked Grun.

"He's the grandmaster of my order," replied Baurus. "He lives in Weynon Priory as a monk, not many people know of his true identity."

"Apart from you lot, it seems." grunted the dwarf.

Baurus nodded. "Please, could you give it Jauffre? It could be the difference between the fall and salvation of the Empire."

"Hold on, lad!" growled Grun. "I'm not goin' around deliverin' amulets for the sake of an empire who don't even know the existence of me folk and land."

"Please, I beg of you," cried Baurus, kneeling down before the dwarf.

"Get up!" growled the dwarf. "Why don't you deliver it then, if yer so keen on the idea?"

"I would!" yelled Baurus. "But I don't want to leave the Emperor's body to rot here! I wouldn't trust that task to anyone but myself!"

The dwarf and the Redguard glared at each other.

Finally, Grun sighed. "Fine, yer Emperor was a decent man, and I do owe you for bustin' me out of prison. But I'll only deliver it, no more, no less. Got that?"

Baurus nodded gratefully.

"Now how do I get out of this place?"

Baurus gave him a key.

"This will unlock the entrance to the sewers," he said. "I think that secret passage that the assassin used might lead you there, it's your best shot."

Grun nodded and went through the passage.

Baurus was right; it did lead him to the sewers.

He unlocked the entrance and immediately a foul stench bombarded his nostrils.

"I must be barkin' mad," he muttered as he lowered himself into Cyrodill's most extensive and foulest sewage system.

Needless to say, he was not a happy dwarf.

--------------

Arvina woke up feeling warm and comfortable. She turned to see her Khajiit lover looking down at her, blinking lazily.

"Morning," he said, nuzzling the top of her head.

"Morning," she answered, kissing his cheek.

"What shall we do today?" asked M'raaj-Dar.

Arvina snuggled up further against the Khajiit.

"Can't we just stay like this for the rest of the day?" she asked.

"Wish we could, but Enilroth is coming soon," answered M'raaj-Dar. "Can't let him see us."

Arvina sighed.

The two of them had been lovers for the past two years, but they had decided to keep their relationship a secret since most people considered a relationship between a human and one of the beast race blasphemy.

No one but Jauffre knew of their relationship.

While he had been understanding, he hadn't been supportive either.

_I think it would be best if you kept your relationship secret. Keep it a secret until our society becomes more understanding and tolerant._

That was what he had said.

It was more likely to find a Sload than to find a society that accepted their relationship.

The duo got out of bed and got dressed. 

Moments later, they were having their breakfast when Enilroth came running in, waving a Black Horse Courier parchment.

"Have you two heard?" he cried excitedly. "The Emperor and his sons have been assassinated!"

"What?" cried Arvina, jumping to her feet. "Let me see that!"

She snatched the paper and began to read it. M'raaj-Dar quickly leaned over her shoulder to read it.

_SPECIAL EDITION!_

_EMPEROR AND HEIRS ASSASSINATED!_

_Elder Council Named as Regents!_

_Emperor Uriel Septim VII is dead, at the age of 87, having ruled Tamriel for 65 years. He was killed by assassins unknown. At the same time, in separate locations, the late emperor's three sons and heirs (Crown Prince Geldall, 56; Prince Enman, 55; Prince Ebel, 53 were slain by other assassins. An investigation into the identity and motives of the assassins is under way, but the Elder Council, Imperial Guard, and Blades Guard have forbidden the publication of reports and rumors concerning the event until further notice._

_By ancient precedent, the Elder Council rules the empire until a new emperor is crowned. No direct heirs survive, and the council has proposed no list of candidates. Chancellor Ocato, Imperial Battlemage, speaking for the Elder Council, presented an appeal to the empire's citizens for calm, and asked that the people remember the Emperor, his sons, and the Elder Council in their prayers._

_Emperor Uriel's early reign was marked by peace and prosperity. The Empress Caula Voria bore him three healthy sons, was a loving companion to the Emperor, and a great favorite of the people. However, the emperor and the empire suffered terribly during the Imperial Simulacrum (3E 389-399, when he was held captive in Oblivion while the usurper Jagar Tharn assumed his appearance and ruled in his stead. Emperor Uriel was finally rescued and restored and the impostor defeated by the agency of the sorceress Ria Silmane and her shadowy protégé, but the affairs of the empire were in great disorder, and Empress Caula Voria, exhausted by her ordeal, withdrew from public life._

_The decades following the Restoration were once again peaceful and prosperous, but increasing political tensions among the petty states of northwest Tamriel finally erupted in the Wars of the Iliac Bays, resulting in the establishment of the modern borders of Daggerfall, Sentinel, Wayrest, and Orsinium, and culminating with the remarkable events associated with the Warp in the West._

_The latter years of the Emperor's reign have seen a flourishing of Imperial influence in the provinces, and with the fortunate resolution of the religious wars and the Vvardenfell Crisis, and with the wise and firm guidance of King Helseth and his mother, Queen Barenziah, an extension of high Imperial culture even into the more remote parts of Morrowind._

_The Emperor's murder, and the murder of his three sons, is a terrible crime, and a great tragedy for the Empire. Battlemage Ocato assures us that all the resources of the Elder Council, the Legions, the Guard, the Arcane University, and the Imperial Battle College are being employed to bring the assassins to justice. But, in the meantime, the greatest tribute we citizens can offer to the memory of our beloved Emperor is to go earnestly and diligently about our daily affairs, honoring the life of the great Empire he loved so much, and served so faithfully for so long._

"Terrible, isn't it?" cried Enilroth.

M'raaj-Dar looked thoughtful.

"The Imperial Palace is one of the most heavily guarded places in the land," he said. "There could only be three possibilities. The first one is that the Blades and the Imperial Legion have become complacent. The second is that someone on the inside betrayed them…"

"…or it could be the work of assassins of immense skill." Arvina finished.

M'raaj-Dar and Arvina looked at each other meaningfully.

The only knew of one assassin organisation that could pull it off.

The Dark Brotherhood.

It was an organisation that reveled, revered and profited from murder. They took orders from a malevolent being known as the Night Mother.

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar knew its works well.

After all, they used to members of the Brotherhood.

That was where they met each other.

Several life-changing events had brought them together, and they brought down the Brotherhood when Arvina killed the Night Mother.

And now, hearing of an assassination of this magnitude and with the knowledge of the Brotherhood they thought they had destroyed might potentially still be alive…

It sent chills down their spines.

Enilroth looked at the two of them, oblivious to their internal turmoil.

"What happens now?" he asked.

M'raaj-Dar put the paper down and sighed.

"The only thing for sure is that tough times lie ahead of us." 

------------------------------

they're you have...little do the duo know of the fate in store for them as an angry dwarf sloshes through a nasty sewage systems...

references: i got the article from an actual Black Horse Courier article...the real thing is here...

http/ you enjoyed that!...

chapter 5...coming soon...

pls review...i wanna improve...


	6. Chapter 5

Here's chapter 5!

--------------------------

Chapter 5

Grun blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. He had finally managed to find his way out of the sewers and he reeked of its foul stench.

Swearing, he stripped off his clothes and bathed in the river nearby.

After he was done, he dried and dressed himself and prepared to head for Weynon Priory.

He paused.

He had just realised something.

He didn't know where the hell the place was.

He let out a roar of frustration.

He looked up at the Imperial City looming in front of him.

"Better go ask for directions," he grumbled as he made his way to the city.

However, he did not have to venture far before he ran into someone.

The woman was an Imperial, she was about in her late sixties if her graying hair was any indicator, she had burn marks on her face, but she seemed sprightly enough. She was whistling a merry tune while driving a horse cart down the road carrying all sorts of oddities.

Grun hailed her from the side of the road and she pulled to a stop.

She looked at the dwarf and shrugged. 

"Good day to you, sir," she said. "Care to look at my wares?"

"Not interested," grunted Grun. "Do you know a place called Weynon Priory?"

"Weynon Priory?" echoed the woman. "I pass it from time to time."

"Could you tell me which way it is?" asked the dwarf.

"You have to keep going eastwards, which is behind you."

Grun turned and saw the Imperial City and saw the vast land rolling away behind it. 

"Any idea how far it is?" he asked with a sigh.

"It's quite far, about a day's ride," answered the woman. "Perhaps you would like a lift? I'm going that way myself."

Grun turned to regard the woman and for the first time in a long, long time, the faintest hint of a smile appeared on his rough face. "That'll be nice."

"Hop on, then!" cried the women. "The name's Adrianna, what's yours?"

"Grun," grunted the dwarf.

"Well then Grun, the only thing I'd ask of you on this trip is to tell me about yourself and deal with any bandits that we may come across." Adrianna said cheerfully.

Grun rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Of we go then," cried Adrianna, and they began their journey, with Adrianna chattering the whole way.

---------------

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar rode quietly along the Gold Road; they had just passed Skingrad a few hours ago and were now headed to Chorrol to pay Jauffre a visit. 

Schemer slept quietly in the saddlebag and Arvina quietly envied the rat, he didn't have to be out in the hot sun like she and M'raaj-Dar.

Their journey was completely uneventful, until…

Five bandits armed to the teeth stood in their way. One Nord, two Redguards, an Imperial and a Khajiit.

"Your money or your life," snarled the Nord.

M'raaj-Dar raised his eyebrows and turned to Arvina. 

"You or me?"

Arvina sighed. 

"Not in the mood, make it quick."

The Khajiit grinned broadly.

Suddenly, as fast as lightning he sent a fireball at the Khajiit bandit, setting him aflame.

The bandit yowled and fled towards the Rumare Lake glittering ahead.

The other four, taken by surprised, regrouped and turned to attack the Khajiit, only he was no longer on his horse.

"Looking for me?"

They turned around and saw that the Imperial was lying unconscious at his feet.

The Redguards charged at him, swinging.

In one fluid motion, he dodged the blows and was right between them. He struck out at their temples with his elbows, both of them fell unconscious.

The Nord raised his warhammer and charged at the Khajiit.

"You got a lot of fancy moves, cat!" he roared. "But that's nothing when compared to my strength!"

He brought down the warhammer on the Khajiit.

The head of the hammer stopped inches form M'raaj-Dar's head.

The Nord blinked in confusion and tried to pull back his hammer for another swing. Only he couldn't.

He found that the Khajiit was holding the warhammer firmly with one hand.

"What's wrong?" asked M'raaj-Dar amiably. "I thought I was nothing in the face of your strength?"

The Nord tried again and again to pull back his warhammer, but the Khajiit's powerful grip on it wouldn't allow it to budge even an inch.

"Guess you're not as strong as you think you are," said M'raaj-Dar, punching the Nord in the face, sending him down in a crumpled heap.

"Did you kill any of them?" asked Arvina.

"No, of course not," answered the Khajiit, snorting.

Arvina sighed with relief.

After the events two years ago, they decided to avoid killing as much as possible. Even if their life was being threatened by bandits, brigands and all the sort.

"Let's continue, then," said Arvina.

--------------------

"So you came from a place called Agradome?' said Adrianna.

"Aye," said Grun.

Adrianna had been endlessly chattering, not at all unfazed by the dwarf'silence. Finally giving up, Grun had consented to talk to her a bit, just so that she would be quiet for awhile.

"What's it like?" she asked.

"It's like a mountain risin' outta the sea," said Grun, and fell silent.

"I'm sure there's more to that?" prompted Adrianna.

Grun looked at the Imperial woman and smiled in spite of himself.

Her curiosity and sincerity had him opening up more to her.

"There are many entrances to it. The grandest of all is the main gate. Gilded in gold and diamonds, stone polished so fine a fly would not have been able to land on it without slippin'. Inside, a vast network of tunnels, each one leading to different parts, the residential areas, the forges, the mines, the armies' camp and all of them are connected the great hall. That's where the markets and shops are. That's where the palace is. A great ziggurat risin' to the roof of the cavern with statues of the Fifty Kings surroundin' it, its outer walls as white as snow, reflecting all light, makin' it as bright as day inside."

"You miss it?" asked Adrianna, smiling.

"Everyday," answered Grun.

"Do you have a family?" 

"Aye," answered the dwarf. "Two girls and a boy."

"What brought you here?"

Grun stiffened. He hadn't realised that he was practically giving himself away to this woman that he barely knew. In an attempt to avoid the question, he asked another question.

"How'd you get that?" he asked, pointing at the burn marks on her face.

"House burnt down, got trapped inside," she said shortly.

Grun looked thoughtful.

"I told you about meself, what about you? You have a family?"

"I used to have one," said Adrianna quietly. 

"Used to?" asked the dwarf, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"I had a husband. I had a daughter as well. My husband had been…touching her. When I found out, I was furious. That's an understatement, I went berserk. We had a fight, and in the struggle, we must have knocked over the candle I think. Set the house on fire. I survived it because when the beam of the house fell, it broke a hole through the floor into the cellar. I managed to get through the fire and into the cellar. That's how I got these marks."

"So they're dead then?" Grun said bluntly.

"My husband certainly is, I found his charred remains," answered Adrianna. "But my daughter, I'm sure she survived because I managed to throw her out into the pond beside our house. But when I searched she was gone. I've been looking for her ever since."

Grun grunted.

Adrianna turned to look at the dwarf, amused.

"You're not used to giving condolences or getting people's hopes up, are you?"

Grun snorted.

"It's a lot crueler to give false hope when there is none," he said. "It's also a lot better to allow someone to grieve over someone they lost then try to comfort them."

Adrianna laughed.

"You might be right in that sense," she said. "But false hope can become real if you never give up, and comforting someone who has suffered a loss can help them bear it better."

"Guess it depends on the person," grunted Grun. He turned to Adrianna. "You think you'll find you daughter?"

"I don't think," said Adrianna, smiling. "I know I'll find her."

Grun said nothing to that.

Inside, he can't help but feeling slightly hopeful.

Hopeful that he could find a way home.

Hopeful that he could see his family again.

_Damnation, _he thought angrily. _I'm getting infected by this woman's hopeful spirit._

But as he pondered the thought as their journey to Weynon Priory went on, he began to think that being hopeful may not be so bad at all. 

---------------------

...they're you have it...Grun and Adrianna bond for a bit on their way to find Jauffre...

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar are also on their way to see Jauffre...

the lines of fate are now intertwining (did i spell that right?)...

chapter 6 coming soon...pls tell me what you think...


	7. Chapter 6

to answer a certain review...

to 99luftbalons:- lol...Grun is the _only_ other OC character you like as much as you own? you don't like Arvina then? lol thx...glad to know u like the bad tempered dwarf...

anywayz...chapter 6...enjoy...

---------------------------

Chapter 6

The sun was setting when Arvina and M'raaj-Dar finally arrived at Weynon Priory.

They left the horses in the stables where the other horses gave Shadowmere a wide berth.

Schemer scampered about happily at their feet.

"Arvina! M'raaj-Dar!" greeted an elderly Dunmer who just came out of the house beside the Priory. "Good to see you again."

"Hello, Eronor," greeted Arvina, giving the Dunmer a hug. "Is Jauffre in?"

Eronor rolled his eyes. 

"You know where to find him, don't you?"

They all laughed. It was common knowledge that Jauffre would always be praying in the chapel or reading in the library.

Sure enough, they found their Breton friend reading away.

Jauffre hadn't changed much over the last two years, except perhaps that he had less hair and more wrinkles.

He greeted his friends warmly.

"Arvina, M'raaj-Dar," he said, standing up to embrace the two of them. "Good to see you again. How's business?"

They sat down across the desk, facing Jauffre.

"Most people aren't interested in potions nowadays," grumbled M'raaj-Dar. "Even less since the Emperor was killed."

"A lot of parents stopped sending their children to my classes," said Arvina, sighing. "I don't blame them. There's been a general feeling of unrest since the assassination and it's not really safe right now."

"Yes, it's terrible," agreed Jauffre. "Any idea who could have done it?"

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar shifted uncomfortably. 

They knew what Jauffre was hinting at.

Jauffre was the only one who knew about their past.

"It's unlikely that the Brotherhood did it," said Arvina uneasily. "They fell into complete disarray since I killed the Night Mother. A lot of them were already captured and executed by the Legion."

"I know that, Arvina," said Jauffre. "But that still doesn't rule out the Brotherhood. After all, there are a lot of very skilled assassins within their ranks."

"Are you saying we did it?" snarled M'raaj-Dar angrily.

Jauffre raised his hands to calm the Khajiit.

"I never said that and you will never hear me say that," he said. "I trust you both and I know you had nothing to do with it."

An awkward silence fell between them.

"Well then," said Jauffre, clapping his hands together. "How about some tea?"

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar both agreed and they got up to go downstairs.

"I've got something special this time," said Arvina cheerfully, pulling out a flask and pouring its contents into a clay bowl.

Jauffre and M'raaj-Dar visibly winced at the sight of it.

It looked like gruel, only it was an unpleasant orange colour and there were very tiny shreds of a purple leaf in it.

"That…looks wonderful," said Jauffre in a strained voice.

"What is _that_?" asked M'raaj-Dar.

Arvina smiled.

"Mandrake stew with Nightshade seasoning," she said.

Jauffre and M'raaj-Dar turned to each other.

"I forgot!" cried Jauffre. "It's prayer time!"

He ran out to the chapel.

"I'll…uh…go help him pray," mumbled the Khajiit before swiftly following.

A vein popped in Arvina's head.

"JAUFFRE! DAR! GET BECK HERE NOW!" 

The monk and the Khajiit returned and sat meekly at the table.

Arvina served out the gruel to both of them and watched them like a hawk.

Both Jauffre and M'raaj-Dar only looked at their meal.

"It's not going to eat itself, you know," said Arvina in a dangerously sweet voice.

Thankfully, help came in the form of Prior Marborel.

"Jauffre!" he cried, bursting in. "Oh, hello you two. There's an odd creature and a woman here to see you. They say it's urgent."

"Show them in!" cried Jauffre gladly.

Arvina merely scowled.

M'raaj-Dar grinned at her. "We'll eat it later."

-------------------

Grun watched as the Prior he had talked to went to look for Jauffre. While waiting, he turned to Adrianna.

"You leavin' or what?" he asked.

Adrianna shrugged.

"My horse is tired," she said. "Maybe I'll just stay here for the night and move on to Chorrol tomorrow."

The Prior came running back out.

"This way," he said.

Grun trudged after him, followed by Adrianna.

When they entered, he saw that a Khajiit, an Imperial woman and a Breton whom he immediately assumed to be Jauffre seated at a dining table.

"Yes, you want to see me?" asked the Breton politely.

"You Jauffre?" asked Grun, looking at the Breton up and down.

"Yes," answered the Breton.

"Good," grunted Grun. 

He strode forward, took out the Amulet of Kings and shoved it into a startled Jauffre's hands.

He turned towards the door.

"Wait!"

Grun stopped.

Jauffre was now standing, his face deadly serious.

"This is the Amulet of Kings, it belongs to the Emperor. How did you get it?" he demanded in a commanding voice.

Which was wasted on Grun of course.

"The old sod gave it to me and told me to pass it on to you before he died," he grunted.

Jauffre frowned. 

"You were there? Why would the Emperor give you this?"

"The old man was barkin' mad!" growled Grun. "He was spoutin' some garbage about seein' me in his dreams."

"Mind your tongue," growled Jauffre. "Did he say anything else?"

"Told me you knew of his other whelp," grunted the dwarf.

Jauffre's eyes widened. 

"Yes, Uriel called me to his chambers that night on showed me the child. He told me to take care of him."

The Khajiit cut in.

"You knew the Emperor, _personally_?"

"Of course I do," said Jauffre quietly. "I'm the Grandmaster of the Blades."

The room was quiet.

Grun snorted.

"So yer Emperor has a bastard, then," he said.

Jauffre winced. 

"I prefer the term, illegitimate child," he said coldly.

"Which is a fancy word that still means 'bastard'," retorted the dwarf. "You can dress up a zombie like a king, but it wouldn't change the fact that it's a zombie. Same thing here."

"Now is not the time for this," snapped Jauffre. "Did Uriel say anything else?"

"Said something about findin' the bastard and close the jaws of Oblivion or somethin' like that," answered the dwarf.

"I see," said Jauffre. "The son is in Kvatch, his name is Martin. He's a priest."

Grun blinked. 

"Why are you tellin' me this?"

Jauffre blinked.

"Because you're going to look for him and bring him here."

"Hell no!" snapped the dwarf. "I only agreed to bring you the amulet, that's all."

"Well, the Emperor saw something in you, whatever you are," snapped Jauffre. "I'm sure that you're the right person for this task."

"I didn't bust me arse outta prison just to go around helpin' you sods hold yer Empire together!" yelled Grun. "I'm through with this!"

M'raaj-Dar chuckled.

"What're you laughin' at, Whiskers?" growled the dwarf.

"You're probably just scared to go out and find the boy," said the Khajiit snidely.

"Are you callin' me a chicken?" Grun roared.

"Of course not," snorted M'raaj-Dar. "That's too good for you."

"Why you…"

Arvina kneeled before the irate dwarf.

"Please, could you help us? This land needs you now," she said, blinking at him with her soft brown eyes. 

Grun found himself blushing slightly and felt his anger melt in face of those eyes. Looking away, he snarled. "Fine, but I don't know the way."

Jauffre turned to M'raaj-Dar. "You better go with him."

"What?" cried the Khajiit.

"Now, M'raaj-Dar," said Jauffre sternly.

Both of them swearing in their mother tongue, Grun and M'raaj-Dar walked out the door.

Turning to Arvina, Jauffre said: "I'll look after the amulet; you better go with them and keep them from killing each other."

Arvina nodded and followed them out.

Turning, Jauffre saw the woman that came with the dwarf put a spoonful of Arvina's stew in her mouth.

He spent the next few hours treating her in the chapel.

_So much for a peaceful life _he thought wearily.

--------------

Arvina rode Shadowmere quietly, watching the two in front of her. 

Grun did not know how to ride a horse, so he had to share with M'raaj-Dar because Shadowmere was spooked by the mere sight of the dwarf.

Needless to say, both Khajiit and dwarf weren't happy about it.

Listening to the two of them bicker, she shook her head.

_So much for a peaceful life _she thought wearily.

--------------------------

yet another victim of Arvina's cooking...sigh...

anyway...hope u liked that...

chapter 7...coming soon...


	8. Chapter 7

here's chapter 7...enjoy...

* * *

Chapter 7

Night loomed over Kvatch.

The guards were patrolling on the streets, watching out for troublemakers, thieves and so on.

Several more were manning the walls of the city and the watchtowers.

In the houses, mothers were putting their children to bed; fathers were kissing their children goodnight or working hard into the night to support their families.

In the Kvatch Chapel, the priests were quietly praying.

Martin being one of them.

Outside, the sky began to turn crimson.

The guards cried out and pointed to the sky.

It was a hellish colour, red like blood yet clear like a cloudless night.

The ground began to rumble.

The guards on the wall over the entrance shouted something and pointed out.

The Captain of the city guards, Savlian Matius came out of one of the watchtowers to see what was going on.

Something began to emerge from the ground.

Years of service and experience had taught Savlian that if you don't recognise something, be on your guard.

"Close the gates and lock them!" he ordered.

His men complied.

He also gave out the order for more men to come to the walls.

"Draw your weapons, men," he said. "We don't know what going to happen."

The thing finally completely emerged from the ground. 

"By the Nine…" said one of the guards.

It was huge, taller than the city walls and as wide as the wall it faced. Its frame looked, looked like it was made from tormented metal scorched black. But what was more frightening was its center.

It writhed and twisted and rippled like a stormy sea, but it was the colour of fire and blood.

Soon, smaller replicas appeared around it. 

"Captain, what is it?" asked Ilend Vonius, trembling.

"I…I don't know," answered Savlian.

Suddenly, from within the demonic structures, creatures of nightmare emerged. 

Some were just feral beasts, some looked magical, and others were clad in black robes and armour, screaming out orders in a terrifyingly harsh voice.

"Damn it!" roared Savlian. "Daedra! Sound the alarm! Archers, fire!"

The archers loosed their arrows into the demonic horde.

At first it looked as though the simple steel headed arrows had no effect on such horrifying creatures, but then a few of them toppled over. 

"Fire at will!" shouted Savlian.

His archers responded and more of the Daedra began to fall.

Behind the walls, the citizens have all woken up and many began to flee towards the castle or chapel.

Savlian could see the young priest, Martin ushering women and children into the chapel while the others ran on.

Suddenly, he could see people dressed in crimson robes running towards the gates.

"What the…?"

The air around the robed people shimmered and suddenly they were armed and armoured. Taking the guards bracing the gates by surprise, they quickly made short work of them and began to unlock the gates.

Savlian paled.

"Those traitors!"

He turned to his men and roared: "We have to get off the walls; we'll make our stand in the city square. Go!"

As the guards responded, the flaming portal in front of the city shimmered and a terrifying machine crawled out.

"Nine have mercy…" whispered Savlian Matius.

The fall of Kvatch had just been assured.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

M'raaj-Dar stiffened and raised his nose to the sky.

"What's wrong with you now, Whiskers?" demanded Grun.

"Shut it, midget," snapped the Khajiit, sniffing the air.

"What is it, Dar?" asked Arvina.

"There's a strange smell in the air…" said M'raaj-Dar.

"That was me," grunted Grun.

M'raaj-Dar winced. 

"Yours was blown away by the wind a few minutes ago," he snapped. "What a rotten smell your bowels give off…"

"Dar," interrupted Arvina. "What was it you smelled?"

"Sorry, Arvina," said the Khajiit. "Like I was saying, I can smell smoke, burning wood and stone I think but the other smell is a bit harder…familiar though."

The dwarf sitting behind him snorted impatiently.

"Very familiar," said M'raaj-Dar again.

Arvina watched him quietly.

Then, realisation dawned on the Khajiit's face and his eyes become hard and cold. 

"Of course, burnt blood," he said. "Blood has been spilled and there are bodies being burnt, some of them alive."

"You can tell all that from just sniffin' around?" asked Grun skeptically.

"I have finer hearing and smelling senses than yours, boulder boy," answered M'raaj-Dar coolly.

"Which way?" asked Arvina.

M'raaj-Dar sniffed the air again.

This time, he turned pale.

"Kvatch!"

They rode to a nearby hill, and once they were on top of it, a devastating sight lay before them.

Kvatch was being consumed by an inferno.

Worse still, even from that distance they can here screams of pain and terror.

"What's that?" said the dwarf suddenly.

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar looked in the direction he was pointing and saw something that looked like metallic insect crawling into what looked like a fiery mirror. 

Once it completely entered, it disappeared, leaving a smaller one behind.

The fires from the city illuminated the scene nearby.

From what they could see, tall, armoured figures marched around with monstrous creatures in front of the city gates.

Suddenly, they began to fall.

"There are some survivors," said Arvina, spurring her horse on. "Let's go."

M'raaj-Dar followed swiftly as Grun held on for dear life.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fire.

There was fire everywhere.

The machine that had caused it had also caused the chapel tower to collapse, which turned out to be a blessing because it blocked of the Daedra invaders and stopped them from entering the chapel on slaughtering those within.

But it had also cut of those who did not get in fast enough, leaving them to be killed mercilessly.

Martin had never seen such carnage.

He saw men, old and young being cut down where they stood, women were slaughtered equally without mercy. The poor innocent children had been thrown to the beasts to be devoured. 

There was nothing he could do to save them.

He turned to the Altar of the Nine.

How could they allow such things to happen?

Did they not care about the ones who worshipped them?

He could here one of the priests preaching to the survivors about having faith, that this was all a test.

If it was, Martin wanted nothing to do with it.

If it was a test, then the Nine are sick bastards who played with the lives of the ones who revered and worshipped them.

Martin fell to his knees, his faith lost and broken.

"Brother Martin…" came a voice behind him.

He turned to see a little boy looking at him.

"Are you praying?" he asked.

Martin didn't answer.

"Akatosh will protect us, won't he?" asked the boy earnestly. "He'll come and burn those monsters, right?"

Again, Martin didn't answer.

The boy knelt next to Martin. 

"I'll pray with you then, Brother Martin. I know Akatosh will save us."

Martin quietly placed an arm around the boy's shoulder.

"I know," he said, and smiled slightly when the boy began to pray quietly.

_For our sakes, I hope the Divines give a damn about us enough to save us._

* * *

a little doubting is happening now...

the girl, the cat and the dwarf are on their way...

destiny is about to be fulfilled...

bla bla bla...

chapter 8...coming soon...point out any mistakes i might have made eh? (means review)...lol


	9. Chapter 8

here's chapter 8...a bit longer than the previous chapters...enjoy...

* * *

Chapter 8

When the odd trio reached the foot of the hill on which Kvatch was built, they found an encampment.

Coming closer, they saw that it was a refugee camp.

Many people sat outside their tents, huddled together or sitting alone staring off into space.

The trio could hear cries of despair, grief and anguish in the air.

They could see several children running around the camp, looking for their family, or adults walking around calling out the names of relative or friend.

Mothers were weeping, fathers grieving and children crying.

All in all, a heart wrenching scene.

As the three approached the road that led up to the city, they saw an Imperial clad in dark grey robes walking around up and down the path listlessly.

"You think that's him? Jauffre said that Martin is a priest," said M'raaj-Dar.

"Kind of old, don't you think?" said Arvina, gesturing at the man's bald head and the white hair that grew like a crown around the sides of his head.

"I'll ask," said Grun. "Oi! You!"

The Imperial turned to look at them.

"You the bastard?" asked the dwarf.

The man frowned.

"Idiot," hissed Arvina, knocking the dwarf on the head.

To the man, she asked: "Are you Martin?"

"No, I'm Ilav," answered the man in a blank voice. "I think Martin was inside the city. Might be dead."

"Damn it," grunted Grun. "Looks like we're goin' up."

As they passed Ilav, the man suddenly became deranged.

"The Nine have lost! The Enemy has won! Nirn is doomed; the Nine have forsaken us…"

Grun walked forward and landed a punch right into Ilav's gut.

The Imperial doubled over and fell unconscious.

"Why did you do that?" cried Arvina.

Grun snorted.

"Look, lass," he said. "If we let the man run down to the refugees' camp ranting the whole way, it's goin' to throw all those people into panic. That's the last thing they'll be needin'."

"I hate to say it, but he's right, Arvina," said M'raaj-Dar, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You're damn right that I'm right, Whiskers," said the dwarf. "Glad to see that you could think of something other than chasing rats and strings."

"I'll knock some sense into you, you little rock-headed midget…" growled the Khajiit, rolling up his sleeves.

"That's enough you two!" cried Arvina. "Let's go and find Martin."

The dwarf and the Khajiit glared at each other a moment before moving to follow the Imperial woman.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In Aetherius, a man paced up and down agitatedly.

He was dressed up like a simple shopkeeper and held a book in his hands. He had dark brown hair and small goatee which he was now twisting in his agitation.

Light suddenly burst before him and from it a woman of stunning beauty emerged. She was scantily dressed, her long, beautiful legs bare for all to see, her gorgeous bare waist moving sensually as she walked, long dainty fingers played with the golden hair that flowed from her head, her lips red and full, eyes an azure blue and her barely covered breasts bobbed slightly as she walked.

"Arkay," she said to the man in a voice that would send men mad just to hear it say their names.

"Dibella," acknowledged the Divine of Life and Death. "Must you flaunt yourself before me every single time?"

"It is amusing to see you blush," answered the Divine of Beauty, twisting Arkay's goatee playfully.

Arkay merely huffed.

"How amusing," said a voice. "You flirt with Arkay and he only buries himself further in that book of his."

Arkay and Dibella turned to see another man. This one was dressed like a rich merchant and had black hair. He had a calculative on his face and a long nose as well.

"Zenithar," acknowledged Dibella. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"Hah!" said the Divine of Work and Commerce. "It's more interesting to watch a marketplace where you are appreciated, unlike here."

Dibella poked Zenithar's long nose playfully.

"Infusing lust into the hearts of others does not mean they love you, Dibella," came a voice that sounded like the voice of a loving mother.

A woman clad in a thin robe appeared before them. Her figure was outlined perfectly by thin garment and it was obvious that she rivaled Dibella in beauty. However, her hair was black and untouched by frost and her eyes glittered brown warmly.

Dibella merely pouted.

"Mara," she said. "Lust is more interesting than love."

The Divine of Love smiled and embraced Dibella.

"But love is purer and far more beautiful."

A strong wind suddenly blew around them.

It was stronger than a hurricane, yet the four Divines were unmoved by it.

Eventually, the wind changed into a small whirlwind and came to a stop before the other four.

At its center, a feminine figure could be seen; though details could not be sighted other than the fact that she was apparently nude and her hair blew in every direction.

"Where is Akatosh?" a voice that sounded like an impatient queen. "The Dragon God of Time certainly likes to take his time."

"That's why he's the Divine of Time," said another voice. This one came from a man clad in resplendent armour. His hair was white, so were his eyes.

"Talos," said the woman in the whirlwind.

"Kynareth," acknowledged Talos.

Greetings were exchanged between the Divines when another two figures appeared.

One of them was dressed like an elderly scholar, complete with a staff and a bald head. The other was a hooded figure whose face cannot be seen. He was robed all in grey.

The elderly one spoke..

He spoke in a voice that was too powerful for his frail physique.

"I assume the meeting has not started."

"As logical as ever, Julianos," said Arkay.

"It's good to see you again, Stendarr," said Mara to the hooded figure, who only nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing.

Suddenly, flames erupted before them and a gigantic dragon emerged from it. His scales were red and glittered like fiery rubies, his wings stretched out to the heavens, a long powerful tail flicked from left to right and eyes that blazed like fire looked down upon the other eight with authority.

"Akatosh," they said reverently.

"I thank you all for coming," said Akatosh in a majestic voice. "I am sorry to keep you waiting, but I must ask you to wait a little longer."

"Why?" asked Dibella.

Akatosh's eyes narrowed.

"The Tenth is coming."

Arkay visibly paled.

"After all this time?" he said. "He has never attended the past meetings and now…"

"It seems that there some matters that recently interest him," rumbled the Dragon God.

The Nine waited quietly.

Suddenly, the skies of Aetherius turned dark and lightning flashed across the skies.

"It's been a long time, brats," boomed a voice. "And you too, Akatosh."

Arkay had turned even paler.

"Sithis!" he said in a trembling voice.

There was no answer.

Suddenly, from the darkness the voice boomed again.

"Dibella the Whore. Zenithar the Miser. Kynareth the Breeze. Talos the Mortal. Julianos the Fool. Mara the Lover. Stendarr the Hypocrite."

The seven Divines merely cowered before the darkness.

"And of course, my personal favourite, Arkay the Usurper." Sithis concluded with dangerous hiss.

Arkay began to stutter.

"So, brat," hissed Sithis. "How does it feel to usurp the Serpent God of Entropy, the primordial state of chaos...the entity that was here long before you were?"

"I…I didn't usurp you," stuttered Arkay. "I was appointed to replace you, that was all that happened."

"True, true," chuckled Sithis. "But I didn't hear you complaining didn't I."

"Enough of this!" boomed Akatosh. "Sithis, take a solid form."

"As you wish, brother," answered Sithis.

The darkness swirled and gathered together.

It began to take a solid form. It took on the shape of a serpent that rivaled Akatosh in size.

"I hope that this is more to your liking?" said the serpent, a smirk forming on his face.

Akatosh chose to ignore the comment.

"As you all know by now, the forces of Mehrunes Dagon have invaded Nirn," began the Dragon God of Time. "One of the mortals' cities have fallen and more will surely follow."

"A comment, if I may," interrupted Sithis. "You know that you all are going to do nothing, so why bother holding this council?"

Akatosh sighed. "We do not directly interfere in the affairs if the mortal world. However, we may aid as little as we may."

Sithis cackled.

"Like the Amulet of Kings that you gave Alessia's bloodline? That was more of a direct involvement."

"Why are you here?" spoke out Stendarr suddenly, his voice loud and clear. "You have never taken any interest the mortal world since your priestess became the Night Mother."

"And you should know better than the others that she acted on her own," snapped Sithis. "But that is no longer relevant; she is no longer a problem."

"What did you do, Sithis?" asked Akatosh suspiciously.

"Come now, don't tell me that you alone are allowed to have champions?" said Sithis, laughing. "I have chosen two mortals as my champions to handle Dagon and…other affairs."

"You shouldn't have acted without consulting us…"

Sithis narrowed his eyes.

"…fine, you should have at least consulted me," amended Akatosh, sighing.

"Don't be a hypocrite, Akatosh," snarled the Serpent God. "You did not consult me or Lorkhan when you gave the Amulet to the mortal girl. You shouldn't be preaching to me when most of your own worshippers have lost their faith in you. Including the last of Alessia's bloodline I might add."

Akatosh was silent.

"Well, it's been nice chatting with you," said Sithis, as he began to turn into darkness again. "We should do this more often."

With that, he disappeared.

"Can't you do anything about him, Akatosh?" asked Mara.

Akatosh sighed. "He is as powerful as me and Lorkhan. And he is certainly more powerful than the eight of you put together. I say we have no choice but to let his champions do the work."

"But surely you can't just forsake the mortals," said Talos.

"I didn't," said Akatosh. "I sent my own champion. I picked him from a race little known to the other mortals."

"Is he dependable?" asked Zenithar.

Akatosh smiled slightly.

"Well, he is certainly interesting. Exceptionally interesting."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arvina, M'raaj-Dar and Grun came up to the barricade where Savlian Matius and his men where fighting off the Daedra.

Savlian frowned when he saw them.

"Clear off! No civilians here!" he shouted.

"What's going on here?" asked M'raaj-Dar.

"The damn Daedra are holding the city," said Savlian. "And they've put the damn portal in front of the city gates to stop us from retaking it."

"Is the bastard in the city?" asked Grun.

Savlian frowned.

"He means Martin," said Arvina, knocking the dwarf on the head.

"The priest?" said Savlian. "He was in the chapel when they attacked, he could still be in there."

A thoughtful look cross the trio's faces.

"Look, I don't have time for this," said Savlian. "I sent some men into the portal, and none of them have come out, so…"

"Why don't we help you then?" asked Arvina.

Savlian blinked.

"Are you serious?" he asked. "Well, for starters, you could find a way to close the portal and save any of my men in there."

Grun groaned. "Guess we have no choice if we want to find the bastard."

M'raaj-Dar nodded.

"Do you have a sword I can borrow?" the Khajiit asked. "It's going to take more than my magic and claws to handle Daedra, so…"

Savlian pulled out a steel short sword hanging from his waist and handed it to the Khajiit.

"…this will do nicely." he finished.

"The least we could is charge to the portal with you and draw some attention and you lot can go in and do whatever you can." Savlian said.

He began to shout out orders.

"Life is never dull for us, isn't it, Dar?" said Arvina while Savlian began to gather men.

"Nope," admitted the Khajiit. "Two years ago we had to bring down a guild of assassins and now we have to rescue the late Emperor's bas…I mean the Emperor's illegitimate son who could potentially save all of Nirn."

Grun snorted.

"How the hell did I get involved in all of this?" he said.

Just then, Savlian and a group of big soldiers came up to them.

"All right, we're going to break through for you; you just stay behind us until we get to the portal, all right?"

Arvina drew out Sufferthorn and Grun his axe.

"Let's go," said Arvina.

The guards and Savlian formed up and charged at the Daedra with the trio hot on their heels.

The guards behind the barricades fired arrows into the Deadra to support the charge.

Daedra fell left and right as the group charged.

Once they were near the portal, they broke formation and Savlian and his soldiers began to fight their way back out.

"Good luck!" he shouted as he cut down a Scamp. "Go!"

Grun chopped down a Clannfear and cried out to M'raaj-Dar and Arvina: "Let's go!"

M'raaj-Dar hurled an ice bolt at a charging Daedroth, stopping it in its tracks and moved to follow.

Arvina stabbed a Daedra Spider and followed.

The trio jumped through the portal.

The sensation as they traveled through the portal was unpleasant to say the least.

They fell out on the other side.

"By the Fifty Kings…" said Grun, his mouth dropping open in shock.

"By Sithis…" whispered Arvina and M'raaj-Dar silently.

The sight before them was unbelievable.

The ground was ash, it's foliage as deadly-looking as the creatures that reside in the land, its river was molten lava and the sky was red, yet the stars could still be seen.

Upon the land, black, towering structures rose from the land, some ruined and some whole.

It was a hellish sight.

It sent chills down their spines, including Grun.

It was Oblivion.

After awhile, Grun said. "No sense sittin' around here gawpin' at the scenery. Let's get movin'."

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar nodded and followed the dwarf.

As they went down the hill, they could see Daedra roaming the area.

"Never a dull moment, eh?" said the dwarf, tightening his grip on his axe. "Can't believe I'm goin' through all of this for a bastard."

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar agreed with him silently.

* * *

so what do you think?? liked that??

hope you did...

anyway...updating might slow down a bit from now on...since i'm starting college...but i'll do my best...

special thanks to 99luftbalons, Vampirika and Gold Ranger for giving me advise and support the whole time...love you guys...thanks a lot!!

chapter 9...coming soon...


	10. Chapter 9

here's chapter 9...enjoy...

* * *

Chapter 9

Ilend fell to the ground, holding his shield up desperately to hold off the onslaught of the Clannfear attacking him.

Swinging out wildly with his sword, he managed to cut off the beast's muzzle.

As the Daedra fell to the ground, screeching in pain, Ilend quickly fled as fast as his wounds would allow him.

It was terrible.

He was the only one left.

The rest of them had all perished before the fury of the Daedra.

He had been trying to escape, fighting through the Daedra.

Many of them had fallen to his blade, but even more came.

Now, he was lost in a different world, surrounded by hostile creatures and not a single ally with him.

As he turned a corner, he suddenly ran into a group of Dremora.

Shouting in their harsh voices, they charged at him.

Ilend's sword and shield hung limply at his sides.

_I'm doomed, I can go no further._

One of the Dremora reached him first and raised its mace.

Ilend just looked it in the eye

He only saw hate, rage and bloodlust looking back.

Suddenly, the creature was suddenly enveloped in ice right before his eyes.

An even more peculiar creature which looked like a boulder with two legs and arms and carrying a war axe threw itself onto the other Dremora.

A woman clad in leather armour also whirled in and out of the fray, slaying a Dremora with a nasty looking dagger every time she joined the fray.

A Khajiit was running up to him and said something to him.

The words did not register into Ilend.

He suddenly felt giddy and fell forward.

He could see nothing but darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar examined the unconscious Imperial lying on the ground while Grun wiped his axe clean of Daedric blood.

"He dead?" the dwarf asked.

"No, just unconscious," answered Arvina.

M'raaj-Dar cast a healing spell over the man's wounds, which healed up to a certain degree.

The Khajiit shook his head.

"That's the best I can do," he said. "I'm not really good with Restoration spells."

"He's waking up," said Arvina.

The Imperial's eyes fluttered open. First they turned to Arvina, then the Khajiit next to her.

"Who…who are you?" he asked, groaning slightly as he tried to sit up.

"Easy there," said Arvina, helping him. "Your captain sent us here."

"Captain Matius?" said the man.

Arvina nodded.

"What's your name? Where are your men?" asked M'raaj-Dar.

"Ilend Vonius," answered the man. "My subordinates…"

He began to tremble.

"Dead, they're all dead," he said. "The Daedra, they were too many. We never stood a chance…"

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar nodded sympathetically.

"Look, we're going to try and close the portal," said M'raaj-Dar after Ilend had calmed down. "You'd better get out of here."

"I can't leave you people here," said Ilend. "You saved my life, I owe you."

"You owe us nothing," answered Arvina.

"I'm coming with you," insisted Ilend.

"Bah," said Gurn. "Let him come with us, he'll probably get himself and killed and we can slip past the enemy while their hackin' him to pieces."

"What?" cried Ilend angrily. "I'm a soldier you…whatever you are. I won't get myself killed so easily!"

Grun snorted.

"Right," said the dwarf sarcastically. "You lost a lot of blood, you're wounds are only partially healed thanks to Whiskers's clumsy healin' spells, I can tell from the way you're movin' that you cracked a few ribs. With all that, you're plannin' on takin' on a few Daedra and expect to come out alive? Don't make me laugh."

Ilend could only stare.

The air between the Imperial male and the dwarf was extremely tense.

Arvina broke it.

"Ilend, I'm sorry," she said. "But Grun is right. You won't be much use to us in you're present condition."

Ilend looked down at the ground.

"I know," he whispered. "But I'm so ashamed, my men all died trying to protect something, but I couldn't save them. I failed them."

"You're the survivor, lad," barked Grun. "Stop moppin' around and keep you're head up! You still have a duty to the dead! They'll be havin' families won't they? You need to tell them and you're captain about what happened! That's you're duty as the survivor!"

Ilend stared at the dwarf speechlessly.

"You're captain needs all the men he can get on the other side," said M'raaj-Dar quietly. "Go, tell him about what happened. Leave everything to us on this side."

Ilend blinked back the tears in his eyes and nodded. "Thank you all, and good luck."

With that, he headed to the portal.

The trio looked around the place.

"Any idea how to close that infernal thing?" asked Grun.

Arvina shrugged. "You're the magicka expert here, Dar. Could you think of something?"

"Maybe, give me a moment," answered the Khajiit.

He closed his eyes for awhile and fell into some sort of trance.

Arvina and Grun watched expectantly.

After awhile, the Khajiit opened his eyes.

"The magicka here is chaotic," he said. "But I managed to find a link between the portal and that tower there."

He pointed.

Arvina and Grun turned to where he pointed.

The tower was ebony, tall and absolutely menacing.

"Perfect," grumbled Grun. "What are the odds they'll just let us in if we knock?"

Arvina turned to M'raaj-Dar. "You sure?"

M'raaj-Dar shrugged. "It's the only thing I can find that has any link with the portal. Oh, the source is also at the top."

Arvina drew out Sufferthorn. "It's our best bet, let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Inside the tower, the trio looked up in awe.

A fiery fountain shot all the way up to the top but did little to illuminate the darkness within the tower.

"Only way to go is up," said M'raaj-Dar.

They're journey up the tower was a slow, painstaking task.

Deadra ambushed them at every turn and by the time they reached a floor near the top, they had suffered cuts, bruises and exhaustion.

"They just keep comin'," panted Grun, leaning on his axe.

"Where almost there, hang in there," said Arvina wearily and she moved to open the door.

It wouldn't move.

"I think it's locked," said Arvina, trying again. "You know any spells that can unlock this, Dar?"

"I'll try," answered the Khajiit.

He stood before the door, casting several spells that made the door shine and gleam.

But it still wouldn't move.

"You done with you're light show, Whiskers?" asked Grun nastily.

"Shut up!" snarled M'raaj-Dar. "Why don't you try cracking the door with that thick skull of yours instead of making comments?"

"Calm down, you two!" said Arvina, quickly intervening before the two of them started fighting. "We'll just have to find another way. Look, there's another door there."

The trio went through it, and gasped at what they saw.

A bridge stretched over the hellish plains of Oblivion, connecting the tower they were in to another tower.

"Some view, eh?" said M'raaj-Dar.

The trio crossed it carefully and entered the other tower.

There was a long ramp going up the sides of the tower and a cage above.

Below, right at the bottom floor, was a floor of spikes.

The trio climbed up the ramp and turned a corner leading to the top.

And stood face to face with a Dremora.

"You should not be here, mortals!" it snarled in its harsh voice.

"But we are," sneered Grun. "Get over it."

The Dremora lunged at Grun with its battle-axe.

With a swift movement, the dwarf sent the Dremora's axe to the floor.

With another movement, he sent the Dremora falling down the middle of the tower where he landed right on a spike.

The Dremora's screams echoed throughout the tower before fading.

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar shuddered. Grun, however simply picked up and examined the Dremora's battle-axe. He swung it once and grunted with approval.

"This is a nice axe," he said. "Let's keep movin'."

Reaching the top, they saw an odd sight.

A half naked Imperial man was sitting in the cage, staring back at them with equal surprise.

"Who are you?" asked Arvina.

"Menien Goneld," the Imperial answered. "You're here to shut the portal, aren't you?"

The trio nodded.

"Good, I managed to pickpocket the key to the top floor of the other tower from the Dremora, take it," he said, handing Arvina a key through the bars of the cage. "Now listen closely, I learnt some stuff from listening to the Daedra. Apparently, the portal is being powered by some kind of stone, if you remove it the portal will close and anyone holding the stone and whoever holding him or her will be transported back to where the portal was erected on the other side. Got all that?"

The trio nodded.

"Good, now go!" said Menien.

"What about you?" asked Arvina.

"Don't waste your time trying to save me, just go!" answered Menien.

"Sorry, but no can do," said M'raaj-Dar, using a Mysticism spell to bring the cage closer to the ramp.

Once there, he cast a freezing spell on the bars.

Grun broke the bars with a swing of his new battle-axe.

Menien climbed out.

"Thank you," he said.

Grun shook his head. "No time for that, let's go."

The four of them ran back to the first tower.

Unlocking the door, they quickly reached the top of the tower and entered the top of the tower.

Here, there was an opening to Oblivion's hellish skies and the fiery fountain from below sprung up right to centre of the room.

The four of them could see a black stone hovering there.

They also saw a few Deadra guarding it.

Charging up a macabre stair, the four of them fought the Daedra guarding the stone.

Moments later, the Daedra lay dead on the floor.

The four of them stood before the stone.

"You think it'll scorch me?" asked M'raaj-Dar, looking at it in alarm.

"I can fix that," said Grun.

He turned to one of the armoured Dremora bodies and hacked of its arms.

He retrieved the gauntlets and handed it to the appalled Khajiit.

"You're sick, you know that," said M'raajDar, putting the gauntlets on.

"Just take the bleedin' stone already," growled the dwarf. "I want to get out of this hell hole!"

M'raaj-Dar reached out to the stone, expecting to feel the heat.

Instead, his hands went through the fire and closed around the stone easily.

Surprised, he pulled the stone towards him.

The effect was instantaneous.

The tower began to rumble and fire burst out from the floors.

Grun, Arvina and Menien quickly held on to the Khajiit.

The rumbling grew louder and the fire grew brighter.

The four of them screamed as it moved forward to consume them…

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at Kvatch, the city guards began to cry out as the portal began to rumble.

The fiery light of the portal gathered into one ball.

Savlian Matius saw this, and shouted quickly.

"Take cover!"

The ball burst into a bright light, blinding them.

Ilend, who had just made it back and had been treated, recovered first.

He saw four figures lying on the ground.

"Captain!" he cried. "It's them!"

Savlian quickly rushed forward and checked their pulse.

"Thank the Nine," he said. "They're alive! Go get a healer, quick!"

As his men moved to obey, Savlian looked down at them.

"I don't know who you are," he said to the unconscious people lying there. "But thank you all. You saved Kvatch."

A healer came bustling up and began to do his work.

"Who are these people?" he asked as he tended to them.

Savlian merely said four words.

"The Saviours of Kvatch."

there it is...chapter 9...

pls do comment...it's kinda rushed...but i hope it'll do...

chapter 10...coming soon...


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 is here!! sorry for the late update...been a bit busy with work...enjoy...

* * *

Chapter 10

The first thing that Grun saw when he opened his eyes was a high dark shaft. He blinked again and it became clear that he was looking up a hollow building which was partially broken.

"Are you all right?"

Grun turned his head gingerly to see a young Imperial dressed in grey robes looking at him with curiosity and concern.

"Been better," answered Grun hoarsely.

The Imperial said nothing but handed him a flask of water.

The dwarf drank it gratefully and handed it back.

"Where's the lass and that damned cat?" he asked.

"Right there," answered the Imperial, pointing to a corner.

Grunting, Grun got up.

The Imperial also stood up.

"I heard about what you three did out there," he said. "It was very brave of you, thank you."

"Quit kissin' my arse," snapped Grun, walking away, leaving the stunned Imperial behind.

As he made his way through the room, he could see mattresses and food bundles scattered on the floor.

There were also people, huddling in the dark corners, parents looking after their children and young ones looking after the elderly ones.

As he came up to the couple he was looking for, he heard their voices.

"…calm down! It's all right, I'm here."

"I can't take it anymore, Dar! Every time I close my eyes, I see them! They're dead! But they're alive too! Then they blame and try to kill me! I just can't take it anymore…"

Grun paused, not sure about what he was about to see.

He peeked around the pillar and saw Arvina sobbing hysterically into M'raaj-Dar's chest.

The Khajiit held her close, trying to calm her down.

Grun raised his eyebrows at this.

He had heard about the human and mer races falling in love with each other.

What he had never heard about was either of those races falling for the beast race.

While his craggy and weathered appearance might be contradicting, Grun knew love when he saw it.

And he could see love in the way M'raaj-Dar held Arvina while his tail flicked anxiously.

He could see love in the way Arvina clutched at the Khajiit as though afraid he might disappear if she loosened her grip.

The way M'raaj-Dar kept whispering comforting words into her ear.

The way Arvina slowly calmed herself in his embrace.

There was love between the two and Grun knew it.

He turned and left them alone.

He headed for the doors of the building and saw Savlian Matius, Ilend Vonius and a female Redguard there discussing something. Some twenty soldiers sat around the doors, tending to their wounds or servicing their weapons.

Savlian's eyes lighted when he saw the dwarf.

"Thank Talos you're allright," he said.

"What happened?" asked Grun. "I remember one hellish flame engulfin' me and everythin' went dark after that."

"We don't know about any flame but the portal sort of exploded," answered Savlian. "The four of you sort of flew out of the explosion."

"Four of us?" repeated Grun in confusion.

Then, he remembered.

"The sod in the cage," he said. "Where is he?"

Savlian frowned at the dwarf's choice of word.

"He's down at the refugee camp," he answered. "We sent him to go and get help."

"Right," grunted the dwarf. "So how did we end up in here?"

"Well, we gathered what men we could and stormed the city after the portal closed, we managed to defeat the Daedra outside the chapel. Now we're gathering more men and evacuating the chapel. We brought you here so that Brother Martin can treat you; he's very good with Restoration spells…"

"Wait, did you just say, Martin?" interrupted the dwarf.

"Yes, Martin," answered Savlian.

"Where is he?"

Savlian looked around and pointed to the corner where Arvina and M'raaj-Dar were.

"Over there, the Imperial in the grey robes," he said.

Grun turned and saw the Imperial whom he just brushed off.

"Damn," he muttered and made his way there.

As he approached, he could hear the Imperial talking with the duo.

Apparently he was thanking the two of them for their part in closing down the portal.

_What an arse kisser _thought Grun irritably.

Once he arrived he said: "Oi, you!"

The Imperial turned.

"You the bastard?"

The Imperial frowned.

"Idiot," said Arvina.

"Sorry about that," said M'raaj-Dar. "What he really wants to ask is are you Martin?"

The Imperial nodded.

"Yes, I'm Martin," he said.

"The priest?" prompted Arvina.

"Yes, I'm a priest," replied Martin bitterly. "Do you need a priest?"

"Not really," said Arvina, surprised at his a bitter tone. "What's wrong?"

Martin laughed dryly. "What's wrong? Daedra just invaded this city and massacred more than half the citizens. What did the Divines do about it? Nothing! They just watched us being slaughtered by the Daedra and did nothing!"

Arvina, M'raaj-Dar and Grun watched the priest rant wordlessly.

After he was done, Grun spoke. "I don't know or care about what you just said. But you're coming with us."

"Why?" asked Martin suspiciously.

"You're the Emperor's bastard," said Grun.

"What are you talking about?" cried out Martin angrily. "I'm not a bastard. My father was a farmer!"

"Whatever," snorted Grun. "The fact remains is that you're the only one we've met that fits the old monk's description. So we're getting you outta here, willingly or otherwise."

"What old monk?" asked Martin.

"Jauffre," said Arvina.

"Jauffre?" repeated Martin, frowning with recognition. "He sent you? Why?"

"It's like Grun said it," said M'raaj-Dar. "You're the late Emperor's…unknown son. Jauffre brought you here for your safety on the Emperor's orders."

"But…it can't be," said Martin.

Grun grunted. "Right, it just so happened that Daedra chose to attack this city first. They massacred everyone in the city, lookin' into every home. This was more than an invasion, it was hunt."

"For me?" prompted the priest.

"Well at least you're not daft," said the dwarf.

"Shh," said Arvin.

The four of them turned to see Savlian walking up to them.

"I'm glad the three of you are okay," he said. "I know you've done much for us, but we still need your help."

"We tried to take on the castle when you were unconscious earlier. We had to clear a lot of Daedra just get there. But it turns out that they brought down the portcullis and it can't be opened on our side. But there's a passage leading from the chapel's undercroft into the courtyard of the castle. Can you help us open it while we hold the Daedra's attention?"

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar looked at each other uncomfortably. They had just gone through hell and back again and they weren't eager to go through more dangers. However, they felt uncomfortable to refuse the man outright.

Grun, however, was a different story.

"No, we won't," he grunted. "We just went through hell and back again for the sake of this bastard here. We found what we came for, now we're leaving."

"No you won't," said Martin suddenly.

The trio looked at him.

"If you want me to come with three of you, you'd better help Savlian out first," said the Imperial priest. "Or else I'd rather throw myself into the Daedra and then you'll just have gone through hell and back again for nothing."

"You blackmailin' me, Bastard?" snarled Grun.

"Yes, I suppose I am," answered Martin coldly.

The dwarf and the Imperial glared at each other.

"Fine," grunted Grun angrily. "You'll pay for this."

"I can hardly wait," retorted Martin.

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar got up, grumbling.

When the trio was preparing to go through the undercroft, they were joined by several Imperial Legion soldiers.

"We saw the fire," said one of them. "Anything we can do to help?"

"You can come with us," said Arvina. "We'll need all the help we can get."

When they were about to enter the chapel undercroft when Grun paused.

He turned to look at Martin. "What do you think you're doin'?"

"I'm coming with you," Martin answered.

"Like hell you are, prissy boy!" snarled the dwarf. "You're staying here and that's that."

"I'm not staying," retorted Martin stubbornly. "I'm coming and there's nothing you can do about it."

"That's where you're wrong," said M'raaj-Dar, who suddenly appeared behind the Imperial priest and landed a chop to the back of his head that knocked him out.

"Good one, Whiskers," grunted Grun, dragging the unconscious priest to a nearby pillar.

Arvina found some rope in one of the barrels and tied up Martin tightly with it.

"I'm sorry, Martin," said Arvina after she was done. "It's for your own good."

Leaving the tied up unconscious priest, the trio and the Imperial Legion soldiers entered the undercroft.

* * *

So the trio have found martin but now they have to liberate a city to get him to come with them...what next??

pls tell me if there were any mistakes...

chapter 11...coming soon...


	12. Chapter 11

I know it's been two going on three years since I last updated this story...but I was in a real rut and couldn't think of anything to write for it. Thank you to Painelust for kicking me out of my slump for sending me the message about the story with the "kejit" in it...thanks...its "KHAJIIT", okay?...=)

* * *

Shadowmere snorted as Arvina gave her gentle dig in the ribs with her heels. The mare trotted irritably, snorting every now and then.

She was the only one who remarkably lively in the group.

There was a tense silence and a dark cloud hanging over everyone's head.

M'raaj-Dar was hissing quietly to himself, his body aching and hurting where he was cut by Daedric weapons and claws. He was missing patches of fur here and there.

His companion, sitting behind him, was as still as stone. Grun too, suffered cuts and slashes here and there, but the worst wound was hiding behind the new eye patch that covered his left eye.

Arvina was a little bruised and battered but was in relatively good shape compared to the two.

In fact, the only one who was completely unscathed was Martin, who trudged behind M'raaj-Dar's horse, his wrists tied by a thick rope which was being held in a death-like grip by Grun.

Martin felt tired, following two horses on foot, but he knew he wasn't in any position to grumble.

It was his fault that his three dour-faced companions were in such bad shape in the first place.

He had insisted that they help the guards at retake castle Kvatch, and upon blackmailing them that he would willingly die by Daedric blades or his own, they reluctantly agreed to help. M'raaj-Dar had knocked Martin out so that he couldn't follow them into battle.

Arvina, M'raaj-Dar and Grun had the charge into the Daedra-infested castle, and were successful. However, Grun, the powerful dwarf, had taken on two gigantic Daedroths in the battle. The dwarf warrior was victorious, but had lost his left eye in the battle. The dwarf blamed Martin for it.

Grun had insisted that Martin be tied up, intent on keeping him from "being a sodding pain in the arse", and Arvina and M'raaj-Dar, both suffering from their own wounds, had not been particularly inclined to stand up for Martin.

Now the four of them steadily made their way back to Chorrol, to Weynon Priory where Jauffre was making preparations for them.

"Keep up, Bastard!" snarled Grun, giving the rope a good yank, causing to Martin to stumble a few steps forward.

Martin grumbled. While he understood the dwarf's less-than-friendly attitude towards him, he still didn't deserve to be treated like some sort of prisoner. But he was getting irritated that Grun kept calling him 'Bastard'. He had a name, for Akatosh's sake!

Night soon came and the group decided to camp for the night.

While the Khajiit made the campfire and started cooking something and Arvina began pulling out the sleeping rolls, Grun looked around, his dark, glittering eye squinting as looked for something.

"Looking for something?" asked Martin, hoping to try and mollify the dwarf a little.

"A tree," grunted Grun.

"To pee on?" asked Martin.

"To tie ye to."

"What?"

"You heard me, Bastard."

"You can't be serious!"

"As serious as I'll ever be, Bastard."

"You can't do this!" shouted Martin, angry now. "I'm not some sort of prisoner so stop treating me like one! I did nothing wrong!"

"Ye cost me my left eye, Bastard!" roared Grun. "Ye made me, the lass and Whiskers fight a battle that wasn't ours, forced us to go through hell and got us damn near cut up! So shut yer mouth ye ungrateful bastard and deal with it!"

"Then what?" yelled Martin. "You were going to abandon them to the Daedra! Have you no decency to help others? I did what I had to in order to get you to help those people!"

"But ye weren't the one who had to face death!" snarled Grun, grabbing Martin by the front of his robes and pulling him down so that they were face to face. "Ye weren't the one who had to cut up some damn shrieking demon and get cut up in turn!"

"I wanted to come too, but your friend knocked me out remember?" snapped Martin.

"That's because we needed yer worthless hide alive, Bastard!" spat the dwarf. "That's the reason we stormed Oblivion in the first place! So that we can get in to that damn city to get ye out, Bastard! If we let ye come with us, ye might've ended up sliced up on some Daedra's blade or crunched up in some Daedroth's jaws, Bastard! Did ye not understand the whole purpose of 'keeping ye alive', Bastard?"

"STOP CALLING ME BASTARD!" screamed Martin. Suddenly, his hands began to glow a fiery red, burning off the ropes around his wrists and he swung out a flaming fist into Grun's face, sending the dwarf flying backwards.

His hand was throbbing from the impact with the dwarf's hard skin, but he barely felt it. He pounced onto the dwarf and tried to wrap his hands around Grun's thick throat. Instead, he found the dwarf's powerful grip on his own throat, threatening to crush his larynx, before being thrown off.

Martin struggled to his feet and saw Grun charging towards him, murder in his remaining black eye and Martin sent a firebolt right into the dwarf's face. Grun grunted in surprise, and suddenly Martin was tackling him to the ground.

The two of them scuffled around before finally being separated by M'raaj-Dar and Arvina. The Khajiit held the dwarf back, his considerable strength barely able to restrain Grun while Arvina threw Martin onto his back and pinned him beneath her boot.

"That's enough, both of you!" shouted Arvina. "Martin, we're not happy about getting beat up by Daedra just so that you'd agree to come with us, so quit your whining! Grun, I know you're angry about losing your left eye, but that's no excuse for treating Martin so cruelly!"

Silence followed after her outburst.

"Please, you two," said M'raaj-Dar quietly, his ears drooping. "We're all tired here and we need some rest. I know it's too much to ask that you two to tolerate each other, so at the very least ignore each other."

The Khajiit released Grun and Arvina helped Martin onto his feet.

"Let's...let's just eat and get some rest," said Arvina tiredly.

They ate the stew that M'raaj-Dar cooked eagerly enough, but the air was filled with so much tension that eating the delicious stew became an unpleasant affair.

Martin helped M'raaj-Dar to clean up after they were done while Grun threw more sticks on the fire to make it burn brighter. When Martin and M'raaj-Dar were done, Arvina spoke up.

"One of us should keep watch for every three hours..." she started.

"...I'll take first watch," said Martin stiffly.

Arvina nodded. "Thank you, now the rest of us should get some sleep."

As Martin went to sit on a rock nearby to take watch, he heard M'raaj-Dar speak to Grun.

"Maybe the kid's not so bad."

A snort from the dwarf.

"Bastard."

Martin gritted his teeth.


End file.
